Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on 2nd Turkey Farm

[HenryN]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

Massive cull of turkeys today
Agency then to oversee barn, equipment cleaning
<TABLE width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>Cheryl Chan</TD></TR><TR><TD>The Province</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Monday, January 26, 2009


Almost 60,000 turkeys in the Fraser Valley infected with avian flu are expected to be destroyed today.
Initial testing by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency identified the virus as a low-pathogenic H5 strain, but the specific sub-type won't be determined until lab results come back from Winnipeg later this week.
"We know it's an H5, so we're going to go ahead with the cull," CFIA spokesman Mark Clarke said yesterday.
The turkeys, which are all from E&H Farms on Lefeuvre Road in Abbotsford, will be sealed in a barn and gassed. The carcasses will likely be composted.
After the birds are removed, the CFIA will monitor the cleaning and disinfecting of the barns, equipment, tools and farm vehicles to ensure all traces of the virus are eliminated.
Any recent movement of birds, bird products and equipment involving the infected property will be probed by the CFIA.
Twenty two other commercial farms in a three-kilometre radius of E&H Farms remain under quarantine, while the animals undergo testing to make sure they are not infected and do not exhibit any signs of the avian flu.
The quarantine, ordered last Wednesday when the virus was detected, will remain in effect for another 21 days after the birds are culled.
Initial tests done in Abbotsford showed the H5 strain of the virus, which can become highly pathogenic. A related virus -- H5N1-- has killed about 250 people.
The alarm was raised after a farm worker reported some of the turkeys seemed to be having respiratory problems. A Ministry of Agriculture spokeswoman said the farm has been diligent about biosecurity.
In 2004, 1.3 million birds in the Fraser Valley were infected with a virulent H7 strain of the avian flu. More than 17 million were eventually slaughtered.
Farmers have been working to improve biosecurity and communication since the 2004 outbreak.
chchan@theprovince.com

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=631606a6-5357-47fc-9053-3862219e8b8e

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

OIE-report, still no serotype:

http://www.oie.int/wahis/reports/en_imm_0000007720_20090124_144510.pdf

[cartski]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

OIE-report, still no serotype:

http://www.oie.int/wahis/reports/en_...124_144510.pdf

The last line of the above report:

"The event is continuing. Weekly follow-up reports will be submitted."

Also note that Vancouver is a stone's throw away from Abbotsford, and they're both within a short drive of the US border, like many of the major Canadian cities along the 49th parallel. Geography is immaterial to US interests, I would suggest. More important is the movement of birds to and from major centers or major farms. My bet is that turkeys are not a preferred food item among Canadians except at Christmas. And Easter is a few months away. Consumption, import and export info would be a better indicator of the level of risk to US populations of birds and people.

J.

[Giuseppe]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

Low pathogenic avian influenza (poultry), Canada (1/26/2009) [WAHID Interface - OIE]

Low pathogenic avian influenza (poultry), Canada

Information received on 24/01/2009 from Dr Brian Evans, Chief Veterinary Officer, 59 Camelot Drive, Room 146 W, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, OTTAWA, Canada

-- Summary
Report type Immediate notification
Start date 20/01/2009
Date of first confirmation of the event 23/01/2009
Report date 24/01/2009
Date submitted to OIE 24/01/2009
Reason for notification Reoccurrence of a listed disease
Date of previous occurrence 2005
Manifestation of disease Clinical disease
Causal agent Low pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5) Serotype Pending
Nature of diagnosis Laboratory (advanced)
This event pertains to a defined zone within the country

-- New outbreaks

- Outbreak 1 (2009-BC-001) - Abbotsford, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Date of start of the outbreak 20/01/2009
Outbreak status Continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit Farm
Affected animals: Species - Susceptible - Cases - Deaths - Destroyed - Slaughtered
* Birds - 28000 - ... - ... - ... - ...
Affected population:
- A turkey meat type production unit.
- Turkeys are all kept in the same barn.
- There are 3 distinct groups of birds.
- The affected flock is ~12 weeks old (~9,000 birds), and the other groups are 18 days (~9,453 birds) and 52 days (~10,000 birds).
- No significant mortality was observed.

-- Summary of outbreaks
Total outbreaks: 1
Outbreak statistics: Species - Apparent morbidity rate - Apparent mortality rate - Apparent case fatality rate - Proportion susceptible animals lost*
* Birds - ** - ** - ** - **
* Removed from the susceptible population through death, destruction and/or slaughter
** Not calculated because of missing information

-- Epidemiology
Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection
* Unknown or inconclusive

-- Epidemiological comments
The premises where the disease was diagnosed is in the Fraser Valley in the province of British Columbia, where an important event of highly pathogenic avian influenza also occurred in 2004.
British Columbia is located at the westernmost limit of Canada.
Birds from this farm were submitted by the veterinary private practitioner to the Animal Health Centre (AHC - British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries) as a routine submission for a respiratory related problem with no significant mortality.
The AHC is a member of the Canadian Avian Influenza Laboratory Network.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) National Center for Foreign Animal Diseases confirmed the diagnosis (conventional PCR H5 positive) on samples initially processed by the AHC.
Results of gene sequencing indicate a low path cleavage site (NVPQRETR/GLFGAIA).
The sequence is 99% related to another H5 virus (H5N2) from California in 2007.
Closest match in Genbank is A/American green-winged teal/California/HKWF609/2007(H5N2), accession number: CY033444
Additional tests are underway.
The index premises and all premises within 3 km of this premises have been placed under quarantine.
Trace out investigations are underway and all significant contacts will also be quarantined.
Surveillance and control activities have started in accordance with the CFIA Notifiable Avian Influenza Hazard Specific Plan.

Note by the OIE Animal Health Information Department: H5 and H7 avian influenza in its low pathogenic form in poultry is a notifiable disease as per Chapter 10.4. on avian influenza of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code (2008).

-- Control measures
Measures applied
* Quarantine
* Screening
* Vaccination prohibited
* No treatment of affected animals
Measures to be applied
* Stamping out
* Disinfection of infected premises/establishment(s)

-- Diagnostic test results
Laboratory name and type CFIA National Center for Foreign Animal Diseases - Winnipeg (National laboratory)
Tests and results: Species - Test - Test date - Result
* Birds - polymerase chain reaction (PCR) - 23/01/2009 - Positive

-- Future Reporting
The event is continuing. Weekly follow-up reports will be submitted.
-

<cite cite="http://www.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=single_report&pop=1&reportid=7720" >WAHID Interface - OIE World Animal Health Information Database</cite>

[Giuseppe]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

From above Report:

Results of gene sequencing indicate a low path cleavage site (NVPQRETR/GLFGAIA).
The sequence is 99% related to another H5 virus (H5N2) from California in 2007.
Closest match in Genbank is A/American green-winged teal/California/HKWF609/2007(H5N2), accession number: CY033444

[Shiloh]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

Source: http://www.vancouversun.com/Health/H...979/story.html

Half of turkeys infected with avian flu to be killed today
By Amy O'Brian, Vancouver SunJanuary 26, 2009 2:02 PM

METRO VANCOUVER -- Half of the turkeys infected with avian flu at an Abbotsford farm are expected to be killed later today, with the remainder scheduled to be killed Tuesday.

Sandra Stephens, a veterinary program specialist with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said the birds at E & H Farms will be destroyed in two batches, using carbon dioxide gas.

There are about 25,000 birds in each of two barns on the property.

Stephens said the two flocks will be killed separately because of the high quantities of gas required to flood the barns, and the staff needed to oversee the procedure.

Tests conducted late last week by the CFIA confirmed that birds on the farm were carrying a strain of the virus that could become highly pathogenic.

Farms within a three-kilometre radius of E & H were put under quarantine and will remain so for three weeks after the cull is complete.

Stephens said there has been no indication that the virus has spread to birds on other farms, but the CFIA will continue with ?dead bird testing? for the duration of the quarantine.

Dead bird testing is when producers collect up to five birds that have died in their barns ? ideally, within the last five or six hours ? and make them available for onsite testing by the CFIA.

After today and tomorrow?s cullings, the 50,000 birds will be composted in two stages ? the first taking place inside the barn where they are killed to avoid any airborne spread of the virus to other farms.

The carcasses will be mixed with wood shavings and left in the barn for seven to 10 days, where temperatures in the core of the compost will reach up to 50 degrees Celsius.

After that, the partly composted birds will be moved outside the barn, covered in sawdust or straw and allowed to fully decompose until the mixture eventually becomes usable soil.

Asked how confident she is that the virus has been contained, Stephens erred on the side of caution. ?This is a very unpredictable virus,? she said.

In 2004, an avian flu outbreak in the Fraser Valley led to the culling of 17 million birds.

[Shiloh]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

This is the response in the US across the border:

Source: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/770388.html

Whatcom County birds to be tested for avian flu
ZOE FRALEY - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

The discovery of the H5 avian influenza virus in turkeys just over the border has prompted state officials to step up testing on local birds.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture is asking 13 Whatcom County farms that regularly send in eggs for testing to send an additional batch to be tested for avian flu antibodies, said department communications director Jason Kelly.

"We're going to actively monitor eggs produced in Whatcom County," he said.

Washington state has never had a confirmed case of avian flu, and Kelly said he doesn't expect it to cross the border in this case. State veterinarians have been in contact with their counterparts in Canada as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture to figure out the best plan to keep the state's poultry safe.

On Saturday, Jan. 24, avian influenza virus was confirmed on a commercial turkey farm in Abbotsford, B.C., and as many as 60,000 birds could be euthanized because of the disease.

"The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is moving quickly to contain the disease in Canada," Kelly said. "(British Columbia) has been though similar depopulation of poultry before, in April 2004, and that was a more widespread issue, but it never came across (the border)."

The virus doesn't affect food safety when it is killed by proper cooking and handling, Kelly said. It very rarely affects humans, unless they have been in close contact with infected birds.

The virus found Sunday in Abbotsford is a weak, low pathogenic strain, unlike the deadly H7N4 virus that killed or caused the destruction of 17 million birds in 2004.

Though this strain is not as strong, now is still the time for bird owners to be vigilant, Kelly said. They need to keep an eye out for symptoms of the virus in their birds, such as a drop in egg production, sneezing and other respiratory system problems. Bird owners should make sure to use proper sanitation, washing their hands and equipment and changing clothes after coming in contact with their birds.

"The message is that bird owners need to keep a close eye on their birds," he said. "And if they do see signs of illness in their birds, they need to report it to the state veterinary office."

Any bird owners who suspect their flock may be affected by the virus should call the state's avian hotline at 1 (800) 606-3056.

[Mamabird]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

"Washington state has never had a confirmed case of avian flu, and Kelly said he doesn't expect it to cross the border in this case. State veterinarians have been in contact with their counterparts in Canada as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture to figure out the best plan to keep the state's poultry safe."

Perhaps not, but the following link shows that H5 and N1 were deteceted in Clark County, WA in November. Testing underway.

http://wildlifedisease.nbii.gov/ai/LPAITable.pdf

[Commonground]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

Thanks Mamabird. It seems to to me, they do not update their files?

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

"Washington state has never had a confirmed case of avian flu, and Kelly said he doesn't expect it to cross the border in this case. State veterinarians have been in contact with their counterparts in Canada as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture to figure out the best plan to keep the state's poultry safe."

Perhaps not, but the following link shows that H5 and N1 were deteceted in Clark County, WA in November. Testing underway.

http://wildlifedisease.nbii.gov/ai/LPAITable.pdf

Thanks for the link. I'll pass it on to bird-hunters.

How can the test in September be positive for H5 and N1, yet have "no virus isolated"?

Did they do an RT-PCR test, but were unable to do full sequence testing?

.

[cartski]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

In the Regina Beach H7 outbreak in Sept 2007, the farm was located next to Last Mountain Lake, a major staging area for migratory birds, and commonly know as "The Duck Factory of North America" with 25 % mallard population.

Do we know if there is a similar situation in Abbotsford?

Also in the Regina Beach outbreak, US border personal immediately seized all hunted birds that were being transported back to the US. Presumeably this was a directive of some sort, so a paper trail or public announcements should have happened. Have we any indication that such controls have been implemented at the BC/US border?

J.

[Mamabird]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

AD:

"How can the test in September be positive for H5 and N1, yet have "no virus isolated"?

Did they do an RT-PCR test, but were unable to do full sequence testing?"

The first tests conducted on the WA samples collected were likely rapid tests which can detect H5 and N1 components of an avian virus. That doesn't mean that it is an H5N1 virus, but that both genes were found in one or more viruses. If a reasonable measurement of the H5 gene was available, it would be an early indication of High or Low path, since highly pathogenic viruses have muntiple basic amino acids at the clevage site, and therefore are longer than low path varieties.

Virus isolation and sequencing, which takes more time and is not always successful, would be the next logical step with the goal to confirm that the virus is H5. If it is H5 and has a suspect clevage site, they would perform more tests to nail down pathogenicity. If the viurus is not H5 or H7, they would likely not bother doing any further work.

My suspecion is that once they are fairly certain that the AI found is Low Path, they are not in any hurry to do much else.

My point in the initial response was that avian influenza was likely detected in WA, despite the comment to the contrary. Further, H5 viruses are difficult to detect. You have to really want to find them, and look long and hard for the infected birds. I'm not aware of any agency so motivated at present.

[Shiloh]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

Source: http://www.king5.com/health/stories/...W.d0ef348.html

State steps up bird testing in Whatcom County
05:53 PM PST on Tuesday, January 27, 2009
By ROB PIERCY / KING 5 News
Video
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Testing begins this week to make sure an outbreak of bird flu in Canada hasn't spread to Washington state.

Last weekend, the virus was found in birds at a turkey farm in Abbotsford, British Columbia, just across the border.

How could birds in Whatcom County have been exposed to a virus 30 miles away in Canada?

"It's easily transmitted through the wild fowl. The wild fowl are the reservoir for this virus and it can spread pretty quickly and it can surprise you,? said Dr. Paul Kohrs with the Department of Agriculture.

For instance, migrating Canada geese could have been exposed at the farm in Abbotsford, then flew south into Whatcom County and exposed poultry here.

There has never been a documented case of avian flu found in poultry in Washington state. If it were found, it would mean a shutdown of poultry exports that could cripple the industry.

On the Canadian side, 60,000 turkeys at the Abbotsford farm are being euthanized to prevent the spread of the virus.

In very rare instances, people can contract avian flu, but that usually requires prolonged exposure to "live" infected birds.

The bottom line is that agriculture officials say they need to do these tests, but people really don't need to worry.

If chicken or turkey sick with avian flu ever made it into a grocery store cooler, the virus would likely already be dead and cooking the bird would destroy any that remains.

Results of some of the tests should be done by Thursday.

[Giuseppe]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

Canada. British Columbia to extend bird flu quarantine

B.C. to extend bird flu quarantine

Catherine Rolfsen, Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, January 27, 2009
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. -

One more Abbotsford-area farm has been placed under quarantine and more could be flagged in the coming days as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency continues to monitor an outbreak of avian flu.


Twenty-three farms were initially under quarantine because they are within a three-kilometre radius of E & H farms, where government officials Saturday confirmed the presence of the virus.

But CFIA disease control specialist Sandra Stephens said an additional property has been added to the list because it's been determined there was "significant contact" between it and the affected property.

"We're still working on tracing movement to and from the infected premises," Stephens said on Tuesday. "So as we're working our way through those we may identify others that will need to be placed under quarantine."

Stephens said the quarantined barns will be tested for the presence of the virus for at least three weeks.

"So far, we're all negative on all the other tests that we have done," she said.

Stephens said the last of the 60,000 turkeys at the infected property were slated to be killed with carbon dioxide gas Tuesday.

The bodies will be composted inside the barns and monitored to ensure the virus is rendered inactive.

After seven to 10 days, Stephens said the carcasses will be removed from the barn to complete the composting process.

Meanwhile, she said testing continues at a CFIA laboratory to confirm the pathogenicity, sub-type and strain of the virus. Those results should be known within days.

In 2004, an outbreak of avian influenza led to the killing of 17 million birds in B.C., the largest animal cull in Canadian history.

Avian flu rarely spreads to humans unless the person has had repeated close contact with infected birds.

Abbotsford is about 75 kilometres southeast of Vancouver.

With files from Canwest News Service
-

<cite cite="http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=1224363">B.C. to extend bird flu quarantine</cite>

[cartski]

Re: Canada - LPAI H5 Confirmed on Turkey Farm

Abbotsford bird flu quarantine expands as farmers calculate losses
Last Updated: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 | 10:17 AM PT Comments1Recommend2CBC News
The number of farms under quarantine in the Fraser Valley is growing because of concerns over avian flu, as farmers raise their own concerns that compensation for destroyed birds will fall far short of their losses.

Two more farms outside of the three-kilometre quarantine zone around E & H Farms in Abbotsford, B.C., have been cordoned off, raising the total number of affected farms to 26.

Sandra Stephens, a disease control specialist with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said the two new farms have been quarantined as a precaution after someone there had contact with the E & H farm.

"We are trying to uncover all possible stones that might reveal where potentially this virus came from and where potentially it could be taken to," said Stephens.

Quarantine could expand further
So far, tests on the other farms are negative, but that could change.

"People should not be too surprised in the coming days ? we may have others," said Stephans.

CFIA officials still believe the avian flu found on the E & H farm was low pathogenic, or less deadly, but tests are continuing to determine the full subtype and pathogenicity of the virus. Results should be known within days, they said.

There are multiple subtypes of H5 avian flu and the agency has cautioned that the presence of H5 virus does not mean there is an outbreak of the H5N1 virus that has killed nearly 250 people in Asia, Africa and Europe after surfacing in Asia in late 2003.

In 2004, millions of birds died or were destroyed in the Fraser Valley from an outbreak caused by a "high path" H7N3 virus. The Fraser Valley experienced an H5N2 outbreak in November 2005.

Cull devastating for farm
Meanwhile, the two brothers who operate separate businesses on the E & H Farms property say the financial fallout of having 60,000 of their turkeys destroyed after the outbreak was detected on their property is devastating.

Shawn Heppel said he and his brother, Mike, will be without cash flow until late August due to the cull.

"It's three months minimum before we can start up again and four months after that until birds can be sold," Heppel said as CFIA personnel completed the destruction of the turkeys at the farm on Tuesday.

"So, we're looking at seven months without cash flow."

Workers with the agency began destroying the birds Monday by sealing the two barns on property near Abbotsford and flooding them with carbon dioxide.

The turkeys were ordered destroyed following the discovery last week of an H5 virus. The virus was detected only in Mike Heppell's barn, but all the birds in both barns still had to be destroyed.

The brothers would have received about $1.1 million had they been able to sell the fully grown birds at market, Shawn Heppel said.

Compensation is available under provisions of the federal Health of Animals Act, but the CFIA has already told him their compensation will be nowhere near that, he said.

Compensation disagreements
A spokesman for the B.C. Poultry Association said earlier that there are disagreements between the industry and the government about how compensation is calculated.

There are compensation programs through the provincial Agriculture Ministry, "but those usually pay out a year later, and they're usually a nickel on the dollar kind of program," Shawn Heppel said.

He said the outbreak has caused a lot of grief but likely won't mean the end of their farms.

"We've been in business a long time, and this probably isn't going to put us out of business, but it's a big kick in the pants."

With files from the Canadian Press

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/01/28/bc-farm-quarantine-expands.html